Wood cages.........

[filfrog]

Hey i was just wondering if anyone still constructs cages outa wood? And is there some stuff you might want to treat wood with first if it may be exposed to a good amount of water? Like from misting and such?
THanks for your interest

[sophia]

We just built one for our Ball pythons out of pine and luan. I treated the inside by tiling the floor with industrial tiles and then using clear silicone on all the seams, then I covered the floor and sprayed the inside with several coats of spray polyurethane. On the outside I used a high quality oil based stain with polyurethane in it, sanded between coats. It works wonderfully. We still use the outdoor turf inside, we purchased enough black to make two rugs so that you can change them out and allow them to dry in between, and all we do for cleaning is remove eveyrthing, spray it down, wipe it out, let it dry and reinstall the carpet, snakes, plants, hide shell, humidity box, water bowl and resident concrete demon(G).

We are planning another upright unit to house several pairs and I'm probably going to use Emron spray paint like what is used on boats and aircraft to do the inside this time, in several coats and lessons learned from the first experience, we shouldn't have screened the whole top out, it loses too much humidity. Next time I'll do screened cut outs for the light fixtures and peg board on the back or sides for ventilation!!!


There are pictures of our cage on the member gallery

Hope that helps,
Tay

[obeligz]

Hi.
I'm building a new 250 gallon enclosure for my giant geckoes (R.leachianus)
and for the first time I'm using a paintable rubber-membrane for bathrooms.
It's a waterbased rubber-paint that should withstand water for ages.
You have to have something on top of it though since it's gray/blue and should be protected from sharp objects (stones, claws ect.)
I have high hopes for that product, directly translated from Norwegian it is called "Liquid bathroom membrane", manufactured by Hey'di but I recon all larger paint manufacturers have a variant of this product.

About halfway there. My 250 gal giany gecko terarium with shelves in front and a false bottom (that's where the watertank for the misting system and the electrical stuff is gonna be).
Regards
obeligz

[Quervo]

I construct all my cages out of wood. They are all stained with water based stain and finished with multiple coats of water based polyurethane. IMO oil based products should not be used inside or out. I have ranted for quite a while (ask anyone here) on the problems with offgassing that most of the traditional cage materials produce. I'm not sure if I'm making any progress, but I keep trying.
I have tried numerous waterproof coatings and have discovered that they are all "breathable" (the ones I've found so far) .. they let moisture breathe through and will eventually warp or rot your wood. If you use any membrane product, I would recommend testing it well before painting your tank with it.

If you want more info on what materials offgas .. and what they do offgas, just let me know. (I won't subject everyone to my rants without provocation)

Whatever you use, keep your critters in mind. Don't sacrifice their safety for your ease of use.